Malaysian Navy accepts delivery of 1st new littoral mission ship

The Royal Malaysian Navy has taken delivery of its first Keris-class littoral mission ship (LMS).

The delivery ceremony for the KD Keris took place at the Wuchuan Shipbuilding Industry in Qidong, China, on December 31, 2019, the navy said.

Launched in April 2019, Keris is the first LMS to be built under an RM 1.17 billion (approx. USD 265 million) contract from March 2017. Under the deal, Malaysia’s Boustead Naval Shipyard is cooperating with China Shipbuilding Industry Cooperation (CSIC) on the delivery of the ships.

The first two ships, Keris and Sundang, have been constructed in China, while the remaining two will be built in Malaysia.

The 68.8-meter-long vessels are part of the navy’s fleet transformation plan that intends to reduce the number of ship classes operated by the navy from 15 to 5.

KD Keris is expected to reach the RMN base in Kota Kinabalu on January 17, Malaysia’s New Straits Times reported.